Bad news for Mohsin Naqvi’s PCB after boycotting T20 World Cup 2026 match against India, set to get HUGE punishment over…
The International Cricket Council (ICC) have warned the Pakistan board about potential lawsuits from the tournament’s media partners, JioStar, because they are skipping the February 15 clash with India. An insider mentioned on Tuesday that Pakistan chose to avoid the game in Colombo due to orders from their country’s rulers, though they haven’t given the specific reasons to the organizers yet.
ICC might hold back Pakistan’s entire yearly payout
As per PTI reports, the ICC might hold back Pakistan’s entire yearly payout, which is about 35 million dollars. Instead of giving it to the board, they could use that money to pay the TV networks for the losses caused by the cancelled match.
Mohsin Naqvi consulted with law specialists before updating the Prime Minister
A source from the Pakistan board mentioned that while their leader, Mohsin Naqvi, consulted with law specialists before updating the Prime Minister, the organization is now preparing for some very harsh outcomes.
“If Pakistan doesn’t relent and play against India, not only will they face financial penalties, perhaps a lawsuit from broadcasters but also any efforts to go to the ICC Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) are likely to fail,” a PCB source told PTI.
The ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee is an inside group
The ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee is an inside group that does not listen to challenges regarding choices made by its own directors.
“The PCB might face problems regardless of their government directive to not play India as they are playing all their matches at a neutral venue (Sri Lanka) as per their wishes and not in India,” another PCB source said.
“Secondly, while the Indian government has not given permission to its team to play in Pakistan, it has not stopped them from playing against Pakistan at neutral venues in Asia Cup or ICC events even after the May conflict,” the board source, who tracks Naqvi closely, added.
The Pakistan Cricket Board hasn’t sent an official letter to the ICC yet
The Pakistan Cricket Board hasn’t sent an official letter to the ICC yet, but their choice to skip the game is being viewed as a show of support for Bangladesh after they were removed from the tournament.
“When the ICC signed its four year deal with the broadcaster for all ICC events, the contract included Pakistan and India matches based on which the broadcaster made the payments to the ICC,” the source explained.
“So the broadcaster will be within its rights to take the PCB and ICC to court over a major breach of the contract.”
It is widely understood that the Pakistan board reached out to other cricket organizations for backing, but no one agreed to help them.
Mohsin Naqvi might flip his decision after the Bangladesh elections
Some believe that Mohsin Naqvi, who also runs Pakistan’s home ministry, might flip his decision after the Bangladesh elections on February 12. This theory suggests that once an elected leadership replaces Mohammed Yunus’s current administration, the stance could change.
“Naqvi more than a cricket administrator is a politician, who is not one bit bothered about the welfare of the national team. He is trying to score a brownie point with his and could well flip once elections are held on February 12.
“There would still be two days before the India game and things could just change. Else he knows that Pakistan could be ostracised,” another source tracking Pakistan cricket said.